Our Frozen Green or Red Peppers are grown on our farm, come in from the field and go straight into the freezer. Our peppers are washed, chopped, bagged and frozen within hours of harvest. Frozen peppers tend to not have the same rigidity as fresh peppers so they aren't great in salads or where you need crisp vegetables. But they retain all the flavors and yummy summer goodness and are great in all cooked dishes. We find it best to use the vegetables straight out of the freezer and into the pan. If you aren't using the whole package you can saw off a hunk and use just what you need. While the peppers are frozen, or just off frozen, you can easiuly chop them to whatever size you need if the pieces are too large for your dish. Kids love the red ones frozen as is, they are that sweet.

Mama'sPotatoSoup

I made a pot of this soup last night and savored every bite, again. I have been making this soup for 12 years or more and it never lets me down. It's a simple Mexican style soup that uses a pretty basic assortment of vegetables, but they come together beautifully and it's delicious. And spicy! The recipe comes from the Garlic Lovers Cookbook put out by Gilroy Garlic Festival Association. (Gilroy, CA is the self proclaimed garlic capitol of the world). Makes 4-6 servings.

Garnish with handful of grated cheddar for each bowl of soup.*Optional - a dollop of sour cream in the bowls*Optional - Cilantro - if you have fresh or frozen cilantro, toss it in!

*Hot peppers - I once actually put the amount of peppers specified in the recipe, using jalapenos and served it at a party. Holy Moly. I would come across people who'd been sitting for half an hour or more at the table, teary eyed and sweating, trying to get through a bowl of soup, having downed a couple beers in the process just to cool it down. I find that just a couple peppers is plenty spice. In the summer I can hot peppers so I have them around to use in winter. I used 2 canned green chile peppers in my most recent batch.

Heat oil in a 3-Quart saucepan and add garlic, onions, tomatoes and green chilies; saute for 3 mins. Stir in flour and cook for 2 more. Continue stirring as you pour in the hot broth. Add potatoes, salt and pepper. Cover pan and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes. Add carrots and zucchini and cook for 15 minutes longer or until potatoes are tender. Top dress with a handful of grated cheddar and add a dollop of sour cream if it suits you.

WinterVegetableTart

This recipe was brought to my attention by share member Stacy Fraser who has been making it over and over again all winter using lots of different combinations of roots and things she has received in the share. It's very adaptable, you could use really any root veg combo, you could throw in some frozen red peppers and experiment with different cheeses. It's from the Edible Green Mountains website where you can find lots of great recipes (including one for Dark Chocolate Bread Pudding with Whiskey Caramel Sauce which has nothing to do with this week's share ingredients and which I now can't get off my mind). If you haven't got a go to recipe for pie crust, try this one I posted to the blog Nov. 24th. It's pretty dependable.

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Lightly oil a large shallow roast- ing pan or half sheet pan.In a large bowl, combine the squash, beets, mushrooms, onion, bell pepper, if using, and garlic. Add the olive oil, rosemary and salt and pepper to taste. Toss to coat well. Transfer to the pan and arrange in a shallow (preferably single) layer.

Roast for 35 to 45 minutes, until the vegetables are tender and lightly browned, stirring or shaking the pan occasionally for even cooking. Remove the vegetables from the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 375°F.Line a baking sheet with foil. Place the pastry on the bak- ing sheet. Sprinkle the cheese over the pastry, leaving a 2-inch border around the edge. Arrange the roasted vegetables on top of the cheese. Fold the dough up to partially cover the filling and crimp to seal the edges.

Bake for about 25 minutes, until the crust is golden. Cut into wedges and serve warm.

Corn&HotPepperRelish

Place sugar and vinegar in non-reactive saucepan and when sugar is dissolved, add remaining ingredients and lower heat to a slow simmer. Give it an occasional stir, making sure it doesnâ€™t burn on the bottom. Reduce until almost dry, about 20% liquid remaining, remove from heat and let cool. Transfer to container, preferably glass, cover and refrigerate. This is great on all proteins, especially fish and chicken.

ChickenwithOaxacanMole

In the spirit of Cinco de Mayo, here is a favorite recipe from one of my favorite regions of Mexico. While it might seem daunting at first, if you double it you can refrigerate what you donâ€™t use on the chicken and use it for lamb. As well, these spices are available at most local stores. While you're at it, check out the story of mole, at least one of them, since there is still debate as to where it originated. ~Bill

Heat some oil in a heavy braiser or large saucepot. Season the chicken generously with salt and pepper and seared until golden on all sides. Place in 350 degree oven and roast until the chicken juices run clear from the chicken when pierced with a knife. Pull from oven, place on a platter and serve with sauce.For the mole:

GrilledFoagieswithRoastedPeppers&GrilledGarlicScapes

Place peppers on open flame and char. Remove from heat., place in bowl and cover. When cool enough to handle, peel char skin away, cut in half and remove seeds. Do not run under water as this washes away the flavor. A few seeds never hurt anyone. Slice into 1/2 inch long julienne strips While the peppers are cooling, toss scapes with a very small amount of oil, season with salt and pepper and grill until lightly charred. Set aside. Place bread on corners of grill and lightly toast on both sides. Spread some Elmore cheese on each grilled bread. Top with peppers, then scapes and finish with some freshly ground black pepper and fresh basil (or pesto!), if you have some on hand.

OvenRatatouille

This recipe looks long. But really, it's just a lot of instruction about properly roasting the various vegetables in this dish. The roasting sweetens and concentrates the flavors of them all. This is a very healthy, very tasty dish. Another from Mollie Katzen's Vegetable Dishes I Can't Live Without.

Arrange an oven rack in the topmost position, and another in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line 1 small and 2 large baking trays with foil, and coast the foil generously with the olive oil.

Place the eggplant on one of the large trays, and toss to coat with oil. Then push it to one side, keeping it in a single layer. Arrange the tomatoes on the other half of the tray, rolling them around so they get coated with oil. Wrap the garlic cloves (still in their skins) and a half teaspoon of water tightly in a piece of foil, and place this on the corner of the same tray.

Place the whole bell peppers on the small tray.

Spread the onions and the zucchini pieces on opposite ends of the remaining large tray, and toss to coat with the oil.

Place the eggplant tray on the middle shelf of the oven, and put the small sheet with the peppers on the upper rack. After 10 minutes, use tongs to turn everything over. Repeat this turning process after another 10 minutes or so. Gently squeeze the garlic to see if it is soft. If it is, remove it from the oven; if not, continue roasting.

Place the onion-zucchini tray on the middle shelf next to the one with the eggplant, and continue roasting all for another 10 minutes. Turn the peppers and tomatoes one more time, and toss the eggplant, onions, and zucchini to help them brown evenly. Sprinkle the eggplant, onions, and zucchini evenly with the dried herbs. Once again, squeeze the garlic to see if it is soft. If so, remove it from the oven; if not, continue roasting. Roast a final 10 minutes, or until the vegetables become deep golden brown and very tender.

Transfer the eggplant, onion, and zucchini to a large bowl. Let the peppers, tomatoes, and garlic sit for a few minutes, or until comfortable to handle. Peel the peppers, then chop the tomatoes and peeled peppers roughly into 1-inch pieces and add to the eggplant mixture. Slip the roasted garlic cloves from their skins, mash with a fork, and add to the eggplant mixture.

Toss until well combined. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Serve warm, at room temperature, or chilled to plain or topped with a sprinkling of freshly chopped herbs and/or olives.

RubyEggsonPatchworkToast

Forgive the casualness of this particular recipe. I'm a fan of Eggs Florentine, but since you received Ruby Chard this week and no tomatoes, I refined and renamed my favorite brunch food. Enjoy!-elena

2 farm fresh eggs, poached (as easy as cracking them into a pot of boiling water and fishing them out 2 to 3 minutes later)1/2# of ruby red chard, lightly sauteed with butter and chopped leeks4 slices of roasted red peppers4 T of creamy mornay (recipe follows)2 thick slices of Patchwork Farm bread

Assemble the Ruby Eggs: Divide and pile the wilted Ruby Chard on each slice of bread. Follow with poached eggs and the roasted peppers. Toast or broil lightly in the toaster oven or broiler until just heated through, but the yolk is still runny. Garnish lavishly with mornay and eat with gusto! Perfect with sparkling orange juice or hot black coffee.

Making the Mornay: Melt 2 T of butter. Add 2 T of flour and whisk over medium heat for 2 minutes. Lower heat and slowly pour 2 cups of heated milk (for thinner, lower fat sauce) or cream (for thicker, high fat sauce) while furiously whisking to avoid cooked lumps of goo. Let simmer for a minute or two and then add 1/2 cup of freshly grated parmesan or swiss cheese or sharp cheddar. I like to add some blue cheese as well for extra tang. Continue to stir and cook until thickened. Store in the fridge for several days and reheat with a few tablespoons of milk.

Alternative to Cream Sauce: I've not tried this yet, but for those of you who are willing and/or not interested in a lot of fat in your diet, i've got a recipe for a reduced orange syrup. Basically it consists of simmering orange juice until a bit viscous, adding some salt and pepper, a bit of oil and fresh herbs. It sounded like it might work on the Ruby Eggs, but then again...maybe not. Let me know if you try it.

Butter a 2 quart baking dish and preheat oven to 350. Saute vegetables in oil until just tender and releasing some juices. Combine with herbs and season with salt and pepper.

Whisk together the eggs and buttermilk. Layer 6 tortillas in baking dish, top with vegetables and 1/2 of cheese. Top with remaining tortillas, pierce all over with a knife. Pour the milk and eggs mixture over it. Bake uncovered 20 minutes, add remaining cheese and bake 15 minutes more. Delicious warm or at room temperature. Excellent with some homemade Pico de Gallo salsa!